Sunday, January 20, 2013

Cleansing Basics: Products That Help Support Everyday Cleansing Part 3/3

The spring 2012 issue of dōTERRA Living Magazine featured this article by Dr. David K. Hill, dōTERRA’s Chief Medical Officer, in which he details 3 ways you can support natural daily cleansing in the body. Here is a summary of those steps:Step 1: Reduce Exposure
Complete elimination of toxins in the body is virtually impossible. However, there are simple ways to reduce the everyday toxic load the body is exposed to, beginning by taking a healthier approach to your lifestyle and making choices that will decrease your exposure to toxins.
One of these ways is simple enough, but can have a huge impact. Replacing many household cleaners with natural essential oil cleaners is a great first step to reducing your toxic load. Click here to view our cleaning cabinet makeover for ideas. Another way could be by eating unprocessed food and natural products enhanced with essential oils instead of eating the more traditional processed food options.Step 2: Specific Daily Nutritional Support
Most do not realize the supporting role nutrients play in our metabolic activity. Maintaining daily nutrition is not only essential to our health, it also provides a gentle way to give core support to the cleansing organs.
You can support your body with daily nutrition through antioxidants, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, enzymes, and probiotics. Antioxidants prevent damage to our cells caused by oxidation and also significantly decrease the damaging effects of free radicals on normal physiological function. Everyday foods that are high in antioxidants include berries, beans, fruits, nuts, grains, and yes, even dark chocolate. Alpha CRS (found in the Lifelong Vitality pack) is a concentrated formulation of powerful antioxidants needed to counteract the harmful effect free radicals have on the body.
Essential fatty acids (commonly known as Omega 3 or 6) help maintain your support tissue and the normal physiology of the body. When we cleanse, our organs rely of essential fatty acids for additional support and protection. Dr. Hill recommends xEO Mega to help us receive the needed amount of fatty acids essential for our bodies. (This product can be found in the Lifelong Vitality pack).
We all know that vitamins and minerals are nutrients our bodies need. Vitamins assist enzymes in releasing energy needed for cleansing the body from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. They also help manage the body’s balance and make sure that each system in our body receives what it needs in order to perform properly. Microplex VMz provides bioavailable vitamins and minerals to our bodies that are often deficient in our modern diets. (This product can be found in the Lifelong Vitality pack).Enzymes are also necessary for our body to function. Enzymes help digest our food, provide metabolic activity, and help enhance vitamin and mineral activity for direct support in cleansing the organs. TerraZyme Digestive Enzyme Complex is an effective and complete formulation of the needed enzymes to support healthy nutritional and metabolic activity.
In our previous post we learned how probiotics help cleanse our bodies and are key to having a healthy intestinal tract, that not only improves immunity, but can also improve our access to nutrition. PB Assist+ provides a unique active source of healthy flora for a healthy intestinal tract.Step 3: Focused Nutrition for Cleansing OrgansAside from the core nutritional elements mentioned above, it is wise to add additional ways to cleanse organs. Zendocrine does exactly that. It targets and supports the body’s major cleansing organs, and depending on your individual needs, can be used for periodic or daily use.
There are many benefits that can be received through proper daily cleansing. Providing your body with all it needs nutritionally to support this important function is essential to your health. Also, it is important to know our body’s limits and improving nutritional support is something everyone should consider when cleansing. Daily nutritional cleansing is the best approach for most people because it is safe and effective without the challenges and unwanted side effects associated with more aggressive cleansing methods.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Cleansing Basics: How to Support Cleansing through Probiotics Part 2/3

Ready for a biology lesson? It’s actually pretty fascinating stuff and is critical for you to fully understand the importance of cleansing your body.
Everything you put into your mouth eventually ends up in your stomach, which then goes to your small and then large intestines. Your stomach contains acid that helps break down the food you eat and kills many of the germs and pathogens you ingest, but not all.Once the food passes through your stomach it enters the small intestine, which is the primary area for digestion and nutrient absorption. Now, because not all of the germs and pathogens are destroyed in the stomach, they then have the ability to be absorbed into your body though the small intestines, which can have the potential to infect our body in the same way that nutrients are absorbed.
Our body is prepared for this though. It knows that germs will be absorbed through the small intestines, which is why it houses hundreds of healthy bacteria species known as intestinal micro-flora. These intestinal micro-flora colonize the surface of both the small and large intestines. Even with trillions of healthy bacterium fighting against the germs that our body has absorbed, these bacterium can be harmed by everyday disrupters that can cause our body to be more susceptible to becoming ill. Physical stress, exposure to chemicals and toxins, improper nutrition, and poor nutrient density in our foods can all contribute to reduce the amount of beneficial bacteria in our digestive tract.
So how then can we support and increase the amount of healthy bacteria in our bodies that kill harmful pathogens? By using probiotics! A probiotic is medically defined as live microbial food that alters intestinal flora and provides healthy benefits. Probiotics help maintain the correct balance between the “good” bacteria and the “bad” bacteria that is necessary for optimal health.
This is all very important for maintaining a healthy immune function because the beneficial bacteria in our bodies do way more than just fight pathogens. They also produce amino acids, vitamins, purify the colon, and assist the body is basic metabolism.
Signs that your body has been compromised of microflora include digestive discomfort, allergies, chronic intestinal maladies such as inflammation, colitis, diarrhea, and urinary tract infections. Fatigue and a lack of energy are also common side effects of poor intestinal health.
This is where cleansing comes into action. It plays an important role in getting rid of toxins, while also helping to maintain healthy intestinal flora.
Remember the mention of the importance of probiotics earlier? Well, probiotics are what maintain the necessary intestinal balance. We can receive probiotics is several different forms. Most of you are probably thinking of yogurt, which does contain probiotics; however, only 1% of all probiotics we consume will actually become viable in the intestinal tract (including yogurt). The main reason for this is because our stomach acid destroys 99% of the probiotics before they can be put to good use.This has been a source of frustration for many years for those who want to receive the healthy benefits of micro-flora (good bacteria) consumption. dōTERRA has addressed this problem through the creation of the DigestZen line, specifically formulated to help correct digestive imbalances. This post seeks to identify two products within the line — GX Assist and PB Assist+.
GX Assist helps to cleanse your body, while PB Assist+ helps keep all the healthy microflora flourish and function properly in your body.
GX Assist is a combination of essential oils (oregano, melaleuca, lemon, lemongrass, peppermint, and thyme) and caprylic acids. Each of these essential oils and the caprylic acid have been shown to improve microbial balance.
GX Assist also helps to support a healthy digestive tract and gets rid of anything that could eventually disrupt your digestive system and was formulated to be used for 10 days as a preparatory cleansing step before using PB Assist+.
PB Assist+ is a double-capsule delivery system with a time-release inner capsule that protects the probiotic cultures from the harsh environment of the stomach. When taken, it delivers the active benefits of the cultures at a full strength within your small and large intestines.
When our body’s microflora is compromised, we become more prone to infectious pathogens in the gut, which can cause our immune system to not function properly.
PB Assist+ is a blend of six active strains of friendly probiotic microorganisms that support healthy colonies of friendly microflora in the gut. It also creates an unfavorable environment for unhealthy bacteria, yeast, and other harmful microorganisms. This is what helps to cleanse and flush the body of all the toxins and chemicals that have been stored in your intestines.
GX Assist helps your digestive tract cleanse itself properly without giving it a dramatic flush. If you do have a sensitive digestive tract, start small (perhaps 1 capsule a day), and work up from there.
Use these capsules every month for optimal digestive health. During the first 10 days of the month take 3 capsules per day of GX Assist and follow by 5 days of taking 3 capsules of PB Assist+ per day. For the last 15 days take 1 capsule of PB Assist+ per day. Although it is best to keep your probiotic products out of the heat, it is not necessary to refrigerate our probiotic supplements under normal storage conditions. They are tested for shelf life and stability and will retain their activity level when stored under normal conditions. Dry probiotic cultures such as the ones used in our PB Assist+ capsules are not activated until they are released in the gut and exposed to moisture. Many of the liquid probiotic supplements you purchase off the retail shelf are not as stable and have a short lifespan and require refrigeration.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Cleansing Basics: How to Cleanse Safely Part 1/3

Your body is constantly being attacked by toxins, whether you know it or not. Toxins come from many different forms and are known as unwanted chemicals we are exposed to that get into our bodies through food, water, and the environment we live in. Because of their environment, even the most health conscious people may not be aware of the amount of toxins in their body. Healthy foods can also be deceptive. Believe it or not, even eating fruits and vegetables can increase our toxic risk from pesticides and contaminants, depending on how they were grown.Our bodies do have the potential to cleanse themselves and work around the clock to help get rid of the toxic overload. Toxins are cleansed in our bodies through the gastrointestinal, urinary, respiratory and lymphatic systems, and organs such as the liver. Our liver filters and directs the toxins to be eliminated through the kidneys and intestinal tract. Our body also can naturally release toxins through sweat, mucous, and the skin.
However, with all the toxicity surrounding our lives, it is impossible for our bodies to naturally get rid of all of the toxins stored in our body. This is why it is even more important to have a daily cleansing approach.
Body cleansing has become recently popular in today’s society. People are concerned with how toxins can affect their body and have begun exploring different ways to help release them, including extreme body cleansing that is usually performed periodically 1-4 times throughout the year.
Most people are not aware that extreme and aggressive cleansing on a periodic basis can often cause more harm to the body than good because they are voiding their body of proper nutrition during the process and can cause many bad side effects such as loss of energy, poor mental focus, digestive upset, and skin irritations. Most believe that these symptoms are expected during a cleanse, but the reality is that there are other (and more effective) ways of cleansing your body without all of these side effects.
These negative effects generally indicate you have pushed your body beyond its ability to properly support the cleansing activity. It can also mean your body has exceeded its ability to manage toxic elimination, which can in turn create new difficulties in your body. Your intentions for your body may have been good, but you could actually be causing it harm.*
So how should you go about cleansing your body? Are there better options available to rid your body of toxins without doing the extreme cleanses that can also have extreme side effects? According to an article published in the spring issue of dōTERRA Living Magazine, Dr. David K. Hill suggests “consistent or daily activity and working within the limits that your body can tolerate. A significant reduction in toxic load and the physiological stress it induces is most easily managed through consistent and meaningful daily support.”
Cleansing is necessary to help rid the body of toxins and increase overall health, but as Dr. Hill suggests, cleansing is more effective when it is part of your daily maintenance and support.
View part 2 where we discuss how to support body cleansing through probiotics.* We do understand that periodic cleansing can be appropriate at times for certain conditions, but should always be done under a physician’s care to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need.www.mydoterra.com/peggybarnett

About Me

Hello there. Peg is my name and Health Care is my fame. I have been in the health care profession for 15 years.

I am most interested in alternatives to health care, which is why I joined Doterra International. My desire is for people to be healthy and happy using natural and safe products. A medicine cabinet makeover, if you will, although contemporary pharmaceuticals have their place.

I also attempt living as green as I can and make my own cleaning products, deodorant, ect. I don't stop there. I'm also a juicer. Now what kind of Health Care person would I be if I didn't pay attention to a healthy diet. I have a wonderful sense of humor as I love to laugh. Be talking to you.